Automobile jack



Snventor 7K. s. cLAPP AUTOMOBILE JACK Filed July 20, 1932 Jan. 2, 1934.

Patented Jan. 2, 1934 lUNITED s/'rn'rss`l PATENT yFFICIIEE 3 Claims.

This invention relates broadly to elevating mechanisms Yand more specifically to an improved automobile jack adapted for coordinative application upon a lubricating stand or hydraulic lift.

The lubricating and service, equipment for automobiles comprises generally three types'or classes of service units: lifts of the type adapted to support a car driven upon the runways thereof, lifts formed to support a car upon its axle or chassis members and stands or pits wherein the car is positioned over a guarded excavation or upon a stationary structure. In servicing a car for lubrication or tire change upon each of these devices certain difculties have been encountered,

for instance, in the socal1edfreewheel type oi lift when the car is supported upon its axle great care must be exercised in placing and securing the car upon the rails of the lift in order to avoid .accidental dislodgment thereof and the l consequent damage to the vehicle or injury to the attendant. In equipment wherein the weight oi the car is borne upon its wheels diiiiculty is encountered in lubricating certain portions of the chassis and running gear and obviously tire changes are impossible.

\ placement of the car upon the rack.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a lifting jack which is adapted for use upon a hydraulic lift, pit or similar structure and which is susceptible of being readilypositioned thereon to accommodate its allocation with respect to the position of thje axle of. the car placed thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fluid operated jack constructed for application upon an automobile lift which is capable oi elevating the forward or rear portion o! the car while placed thereon irrespective of the height to which the lift may have been adjusted and independent of any'movement thereof.

A further object of this invention is 1to provide a supporting mechanism for a lifting jack orl hoist, the engaging members thereof being readily adjustable to accommodate its application and retention upon the guard rails of a lubricating pit, lift or similar automobile service structure.v

Another object of the invention is to provide l which all the various objects are realized will A appear in the following description which, con- 70 sidered in connection with the accompanying drawing, sets forth the preferred embodiment o! the invention. l

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of an 75 automobile lubricating lift and illustrating the jack constituting the present invention applied thereto.

Figure `2 is a transverse sectional view' of a pit illustrating the automobile Jack mounted 9@ thereon and shown in its operative or elevated position. l

Figure -3 is a plan view of the automobile jack.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view talren on a plane indicated by the line 4 4 in Figure il.

Referring to the structure illustrated in Figure 1, the automobile litt embodies generally a hydraulic ram 10 of the usual construction having transverse frame members 11 and longitudinally extended'track orl runway members 12 secured 90 thereon. The track is formed oi' structural steel channels or, as shown, angle irons having the iianged portions 13 disposed in .vertical relation with the base to provide guide rails or guards for the wheels oi! the vehicle as it is driven upon the 95 lift.

The jack embodies a cylinder 14 upon the body of which thereis secured a supporting frame 15 which comprises spaced arms 16 the length there- 10o of being slightly less than the distance between the flange portions o! the track members 12. The ends of the arms 16 are provided with bearing plates 17 having laterally widened end portions formed with depending ribs 18 adapted to 105 commodate variations in the spacing of the track members 12. v

When the jack is employed upon a pit, as illustrated in Figure 2, the supporting plates 21 are formed with extended end portions 22 which i engagethe uppersurface of the guard curbing 23 and transverse movement of the jack islimited by depending ribs 22 which are suitably spaced or configured with respe'ct to the form of the curb to provide an adequate support for the supporting frame of the jack.

The arms 16 are formed with centrally disposed i arcuate sections 25 configured in lineation with the cylinder and held in intimate engagement therewith by draw bolts 26 mounted in apertures in the arms adjacent their arcuate portions. Spacing collars or sleeves 27 are mounted upon the bolts 26 intermediate the arms and are prof i 'I'he flanged portions28 of the clips 24 are drilled to receive studs 29 screw threaded into a cylinder cover plate 30 mounted upon the upper end of the cylinder.

^ Within the cylinder 16 there is a piston or ram 31 havinga concavo-convex top plate 32 and a Aals bottom closuredisc 33. The top plate is formed with a plurality of vertically disposed lugs 34 suitably spaced to receive an automobile axle therebetween upon operative application of the jackvor hoist. 'Ihe concave face of the top plate is constructed to Afacilitate its engagement -with the rear axle housing when the jack is employed to elevate the rear portion oi an automobile.

Upon the lower face of the disc 33 there .is a leather cup 35 retained by a cap screw 36 and a washer or plate 37 which is of substantially the same diameter as the head of the cup 35'. The side walls of the cup are retained in intimate engagement with the walls of the cylinder 14 by a spreader plate 38 which embodies -a disc portion supported bythe screw 36 and a pluralityV of resilient fingers which engage the inner wall of the cup ange and wedge the same outwardly.

The piston 31 is slightly less lin diameter than the bore of the cylinder and is guided therein by the flanged portion of the cup leather and by a vbushing 39 which is pressed in the cylinder 14 adjacent its top and retained therein by its abutting engagement with the cover plate 30. The disc 33 is circumferentially larger than the piston 31 formingva ledge or shoulder 40 adapted to engage the inner end of the bushing 39 and thus limit the upward movement of the ram during the operation thereof. The downward movement of the piston is arrested by the engagement of a boss 41 adjacent the upper end of the piston with the cover plate 30. The boss 41 is drilled and tapped to receive the stem of an air valve 42 which is of conventional construction being adapted to admit fluid underlpressure andretain the same until a by-pass valve 43 formed in a branch member of the stem is opened to atmosphere. Downward movement of the piston may likewise be limited by the engagement of the head of the cap screw 36 with the cylinder end plate 44. In either case the cylindrical body ram. y Compressed or flanged portion of the cup leather will be maintained in spaced relation to the cylinder end plate and the form of the leather and consequent sealing engagement with the cylinder are thus preserved.

The cap screw 36 lis constructed with a relatively small canal 45 which extends longitudinally from the headed end of the screw to a cross bore arranged for communication with the interior of the piston. A second passage 47, somewhat larger than the canal 45, is also formed in the cap screw 36. This passage 'intersects a cross bore 48 which communicates with the portion of the cylinder subjacent the cup leather 36. The inner end of the passage 4'1 is provided with a tube 49, the free end thereof being looped downwardly to face the disc or piston closure plate 33.V

The piston in. the structure heretofore described may be actuated entirely by the application of compressed air or by the introduction of a compressed fluid upon a body of liquid, such" as oil which may be introduced within the piston through the screw plug 50 in the top plate 32.

In operation, after an' automobile is driven upon the runways of a lubricating lift or pit the jack is positioned beneath either axle of the car, the bearing plates 1'1 having been previously ad-V justed to accommodate the free sliding movement of the arms upon the flanges 13 or guard curbing 23. Compressed air is then admitted to the piston through the valve 42,.'the preferable expedient to facilitate this operation `being the valve coupling customarily employed in the infiation of pneumatic tires. As the compressed fluid enters the interior of the piston Lit will flow through the passages 45 and 47 into the cylinder chamber beneath the piston cup leather and cause the ram to be elevated until the shouldered plate 33 engages the guide bushing 39. When a nont compressible fluid is employed the'piston ispartially 1filled with oil or asimilar liquid of the character customarily used in hydraulic rams.

In operation compressed air admittedthrough the valve 42 upon the body of the liquid causes the oil to be driven through the passage 45 and into the chamber beneath the seal or cup leather 35, the entrapped air therein being displaced j through the-opening 47 and tube or standpipe 49.

`In theapplication of the jack upon a lubricating stand.; the automobile is driven upon the runways in the usual manner and the jack is then slidably adjusted in position beneath the front or rear axle so that engagement ofthe piston therewith may be 'eilected upon the elevation of the air is next introduced through the valve 42 into the piston chamber and from thence the uid will flow into the cylinder `through the opening 45 causing the ram to'be elevated to vits maximum extended position. When it is de sired to lower the vehicle from its elevated position the valve 43 .is opened` and the compressed fluid is permitted to escape to atmosphere. As the fluid pressure drops within the piston the weight of the vehicle will eiect the displacement vof the fluid within the cylinder 14 and thus cause the retraction of the piston. When the wheels of the vehicle are lifted from the runway the lubrication oi' the chassis may be executed in a more expeditious and eii'ective manner, for instance, certain grease ttings located upon the inner face of the front wheel hubs may be reached only when the wheels are turned at an acute angle and rotated to an accessible position and further elevation of the rear axle will' facilitate the revolution of the drive shaft and an accessible dispolno megeve sition of the grease couplings on the universal joints. Moreover, a tire change may be more readily made with the jack constituting the present invention than with other instrmnentalities now commercially known and used, since the application thereof necessitates less manipulation, less dexterity of operation and may be operated with greater expedition.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it is to be understood that the specific terminologyis not intended to be restrictive or confining, and that various rearrangements of parts and modications of structural detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

I claim:

1. In combination with an automobile lubricating lift having parallel flanged guide rails, a lifting jack comprising a hydraulic ram, arms of equal length secured to the cylinder of said ram intermediate its length and extending laterally therefrom, plates adjustably mounted upon the free ends or each of said arms, anges formed in the outer ends of said plates adapted to overlie the flanges of the lift guide rails for preventing lateral dislodgment of the lifting jack relative to the guide rails, the length of the portion of the body of the ram which depends below the arms being less than the distance of the lubricating lift guide rails from the oor when the lift is in its lowered position.

2. In combination with a vertically adjustable lubricating lift for automobiles having parallel anged guide rails and supporting members thereunder which dispose the guide rails in spaced relation to the floor when the lift is adjusted to its lowered position, a jack comprising a cylinder, a piston reciprocable therein, arms of equal length secured to the body of said cylinder intermediate its length, hanged plates adjustably mounted upon the endsA of saidarms, the flanged portions thereof being disposed to overlie said l guide rail flanges and preventing lateral movement of the jack relative thereto, the length of the body of the cylinder extending below the surface of the said guide rails being lessthan the distance of said guide rails from the floor when the lubricating lift is adjusted in. its lowered position. y l

3. In combination with an automobile lubricating stand lof the vertical reciprocating type having parallel flanged guide rails for receiving theA wheels of a vehicle thereon, a fluid operated' ram comprising a cylinder, a reciprocating piston therein, a frame vsecured to the body of said cylinder intermediate its ends, said frame comprising spaced parallel bars of equal length and the plates secured to the end portions thereof, flanged plates mounted upon said tie plates and retained thereon by bolts extending through the tie plates and slotted openings in said flanged plates, the flanged plates being adapted to engage 

